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Wednesday, September 17, 2014

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I will be traveling this week for work to the great state of Ohio. Unfortunately not to Cleveland or Cincinnati where I have my people, but Columbus is a pretty good city too! My best friend is able to come down and spend Saturday afternoon and evening with me, so I'm pretty pumped about that :)

I will be there for a golf coach training, so at least it will be an active week in that sense, but I know better than to think it will be easy to stay on track.

Luckily, my hotel does have a small fitness room and indoor pool. I'm not hopeful that I can do laps in the pool, but I'm bringing my swimsuit just in case. I have been enjoying running outside and the weather in Ohio is going to feel so cool compared to Florida. It should be magical! I have used MapMyRun to look at the neighborhood my hotel is in and found a good 2.5 mile loop.

It should be easy enough to maintain the body weight/circuit training I have been doing. I wrote about it in full here, but here is the visual for a quick reminder.

Hotel gyms usually have a small selection of hand weights and if not, I can still get in a decent work out without them.

I think I have a handle on the fitness, but the food part should be interesting... There is continental breakfast at the hotel and lunch is provided each day at the training. That's a lot of meals out of my control! My work is a bit strict on what they reimburse me for, but it might be worth buying my own breakfasts if they are going to help me start the day off right. I will do my best with what is provided for lunch and that will have to set the tone for what I can have for dinner.

I have made sure to pack my own supply of snacks, that can also serve as a breakfast if needed. I have my favorite KIND bars (dark chocolate cherry cashew, seriously they are like a candy bar), trail mix from whole foods, dried chili mango from Trader Joes and a couple GoPicnics. I won't have any excuse to eat a generic bagel for breakfast or a bag of chips with lunch!

I have been doing a lot of research on restaurants in Columbus and while I want to make sure to explore and try new things, it's important to stay on track. I have been looking at a lot of farm-to-table restaurants and making sure I at least have a couple of healthy options. It is the absolute worst when you get to a restaurant and realize you basically HAVE to order ONE dish, because everything else is fried! This has totally happened to me before, so I know I need options.

Here are a few places I have scoped out:

Wolf's Ridge Brewing - They have a kale salad with grilled peaches and goat cheese that sounds like the perfect beginning to dinner. Then I plan to move on to their thai snapper with pineapple salsa and cilantro rice.

North Star Cafe - Their shredded chicken citrus salad sounds good with a peanut dressing. They have a handful of other yummy things if I can watch what I eat the rest of the day too.

The Sycamore - While there entrees sound amazing, I might have to try a few smaller things here. Grilled prawns, salmon ceviche, gazpacho and arugula salad with beet vinaigrette just to name a few.

As I mentioned, I'm excited to see my best friend on Saturday (she is one of my bridesmaids)! She is also doing the same DietBet as me and actually introduced me to it, so we will both have that incentive to stay on track. Our plan is to do a lot of walking/exploring/shopping and have a nice dinner.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

I had a pretty great weekend and feel like J and I did exactly what we wanted to do, with no hassles. This was nice, considering I am going to be traveling the rest of this week!

We did a lot of cooking this weekend, and I neglected to take photos of half of it! Must get better at this whole blog thing...

We have been trying to get our house organized, because we just have so much stuff. I don't even know where it all comes from! As we have been cleaning and organizing, J brought me home flowers to make the space pretty. I really think it helps to brighten a room and it brings me joy, so that's good enough for me :)

Friday night we cooked Indian food for the first time and it turned out pretty good. Granted, I bought a bottle of tikka masla sauce and naan bread, so I only really "cooked" chicken and brown rice. But the spices were spot on and it was a nice comfort meal at the end of a long week.

Saturday, we attempted to catch the Georgia v South Carolina game out, but with delays we left early. While we were at the sports bar, we had lunch and a beer. I managed to stay within my calorie range that day, which was a nice feeling. A bar close to our house actually has a good menu with a handful of good options if you don't want fried food. I definitely appreciate this! We also grilled out on Saturday night and it all turned out amazing! BBQ wings from Whole Foods, corn on the cob and wedge salads with homemade ranch dressing I made from greek yogurt. It was all very fresh, with some of the produce even from a farmer's market. I wish we had the time to cook like this every night.

Before we fired up the grill, we decided to go for a bike ride since the heat had cooled off dramatically (for Florida). This was more of a leisurely ride, but still good to be active before we ate a big meal!

While we had the grill out, I seasoned and grilled chicken breasts for salads this week, as well as put on extra corn. Our salads this week for lunch consist of:

Grilled chicken

Grilled corn off the cob (farmer's market)

Grape tomatoes (farmer's market)

Cucumbers (farmer's market)

Romaine lettuce

Goat cheese

Homemade hummus dressing

Sunday, we made a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs, turkey bacon and toast. Sometimes it is nice not to over-think breakfast! I also made pumpkin chai lattes at home with a new frothing tool I got at World Market. It was so easy to warm up the almond milk in a small pot and then get a nice foam on it with the little gadget. I need to work on making the chai strong enough next time. When you order chai at Starbucks, they use a chai concentrate, so I'm used to that stronger taste. But it was still delicious and guilt free at only 30 calories.

J and I were feeling really lazy, but knew we needed to get a high-intensity work out in. I had every intention of following this Killer Kardio routine I mentioned last week, but it was a little TOO intense for us once we started, so I modified it to the below workout. It was still heart-pumping and made me realize that I have a long way to go with my fitness! My body has definitely gotten used to running, so I thought I could handle this cardio, but my body told me otherwise. 2 days later and my calf muscles are still SO sore - limping is a good look, right?

Sunday night we made baked tilapia with Caribbean jerk spices and paired that with goat cheese mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Simple and satisfying... a good way to end the weekend.

Monday, September 15, 2014

It actually won't be a bad week for me, because I am traveling for work Wednesday-Sunday, so I just have to stay focused for 2 days at my desk! I am actually a little worried about staying on track when I am gone, so please send me all of your healthy vibes, for real. I will post more tomorrow about my plan to stay on track, stay tuned.

For now, let's get Monday started with some motivation!

I remind myself of this every time I think about getting fast food. There is instant gratification that comes with say chicken nuggets and fries, but I always regret it! Lately, I feel sick when I go off track with something a little greasier too. NOT. WORTH. IT.

Amen! As much as I hate dragging myself out of bed at 6 am to run before work a few days a week, it's worth it. This week, people at work have been commenting that I look great and it's a good feeling :) It cracked me up when one coworker said, "I'm not sure if this is appropriate or what, but have you been doing something? You look great!" Yesssss, I have been working my butt off and not eating crap, so glad it took 15 pounds for you to notice... Good thing I don't say everything I think out loud!

I might sub Ryan out for John Legend or Will Smith, but in a pinch, he will do :)

Friday, September 12, 2014

Happy Friday! This week has dragged by for me, so I'm looking forward to a nice weekend.

I plan to do a 3 mile run on Sunday to continue my success from last weekend. The same trail running group is meeting again, but it's farther away from my place. I just don't know if it's worth getting up at 6 am on a Sunday to drive 20-25 minutes to run, when I can just get up at 8 am and run in my neighborhood?! <internal debate>

I am working my second part-time job tomorrow morning, but am done by 1 pm, so I have no excuse not to fit a work out in before we do something fun on Saturday night. Since my weight loss has slowed a bit, I want to try adding something new to my fitness routine. I found the following workout via pinterest and it's from the blog Fantasmo. I think this would be great to combine my running with more body weight and heart-pumping exercises.

I'm debating whether we should do this at the gym in a controlled environment OR outside since none of this really requires equipment. We will just have to think ahead about the jump roping and tricep dips, but I think we can make it work outside! I think we can mimic the jump roping movement without actually having a rope and we can always modify push-ups to target the triceps.

According to MyFitnessPal, this workout would burn about 450 calories, so that's not too shabby!

Thursday, September 11, 2014

The last few weeks have been a breeze, because I have been planning ahead and doing more prep work. When trying to eat healthy, having food at your fingertips makes it easier to stay on track.

I haven't ate fast food since May - that is an amazing statement! When my job used to stress me out and I didn't have anything cooked for lunch or dinner, fast food seemed like a convenient option both for time and stress relief. But this was such a bad cycle! I ate crap, so I felt like crap, so I ate crap... you get the picture!

On Sunday, J and I prepped the meals below for the week.

Crockpot Turkey Picadillo

Brown Rice

Salad with Tuna and Toppings

Yogurt with Fruit & Granola

I adapted this recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen for Turkey Picadillo. I loved the idea of making this with lean turkey instead of the traditional beef and loved the lettuce wrap part! I planned to have this with a side of brown rice and black beans, hence why I cooked the brown rice ahead of time. Well this changed a little on Monday after seeing the more stew-like consistency of my picadillo. I got lazy with food prep and instead of chopping the bell peppers and onions, I threw them in the food processor. That finely chopped them up and when combined with the crushed tomato, turned more saucy. It was still delicious though! I served it over brown rice and now I have to figured out what to do with all that iceberg lettuce... I'm thinking wedge salads will be in our future.

These tuna salads are my go-to lunch now and I can't even describe how much I crave these! I use a full can or packet of tuna, so there is plenty of protein to fill me up. I seriously have these salads at least once a week, if not more. I just haven't gotten sick of them yet, so I'm rolling with it! My go-to toppings for the tuna and mixed greens are below, but you can do so many variations. Use whatever cheese, dried fruit and nuts you like. I made a more Italian version of this a few weeks ago when I was trying to use up some tomatoes and parmesan. It was okay, but this original version is my favorite!

Goat cheese (it was feta this week because that's what we already had)

Dried cranberries

Sliced almonds

Lemon vinaigrette

I also try to prep my breakfasts and did yogurt or overnight oats a few times this week. I usually grab my breakfast and eat it at my desk once I get to work. But lately I have been distracted and wouldn't eat until 10, which threw off the rest of my meals for the day. So this week, I have been taking a few extra minutes in my morning routine to eat breakfast at home. I know it's not always practical, but I want to try to make more of an effort to do this.

At least I cooked one of these meals! I did get ground beef for the Tex-Mex meatballs that I plan to cook next week. Since it's just J and me right now, we don't typically cook smaller meals, instead we make one large meal to last a few days. So this many recipes in a week is crazy! But I will certainly be referring to this as I plan the next few weeks.

What are you cooking this week - I want to know! Do you prep for the whole week or cook each night?

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

I had some hits and misses this last week in terms of goals, but I guess that is all part of the process! I'm feeling grateful for this journey and know I am making decisions every day that are impacting my health and future.

I have finally hit a total weight loss of 15.4 lbs since June 1! It felt really good to update my tracker in the left-hand bar (take a look) and I hope to do this more. The weight loss has certainly been slower this last month. In June and July, I was losing about a pound a week and now it seems to have slowed to half pounds each week. I will take it! But I won't lie that it isn't as exciting to see those small changes on the scale. I know I have been running and lifting more, so my muscles are continuing to build, which in the long-run is a good thing, because I will burn more calories.

I checked off a few other big goals that I had set in June as well. So even though I didn't see a huge loss on the scale, I can focus on the overall progress!

I'm a little behind my August 31st deadline for losing 15 pounds, but progress not perfection! As I mentioned in Friday's fitness post, I ran with a new trail running club in my area on Sunday. The group was really nice and mostly older than me, but I guess when you're running that doesn't matter! I ran the longest distance I have ALL YEAR and hit the 5K mark! This was huge for me and I kept up my speed well. The trail is a little sandy in places, so it definitely was challenging, but it's a nature preserve, so the beauty made up for it.

Circling back to the "progress not perfection" statement, that about sums up my last week's goals, which are below. I didn't hit all of them... whomp whomp. I need to actually look at these every day to remind myself and not just hope I'm doing them!

So some of last week's goals are rolling over to this week. I am a few days behind in the Sexy Toned Arms Challenge, but I am determined to finish it! My arms are feeling much stronger, so I can't wait to share all those details with you next week. I also need to get back to doing squats regularly, because I notice a difference in my backside when I do, PLUS Jamaal also really likes squats, so it's nice to do them together.

As I mentioned above, I know I am building more muscle now and that may be why my weight loss has slowed down. I want to schedule a meeting at my gym to get my body fat percentage calculated so I can start to track this.

Do you have any goals this week? How to you motivate yourself to accomplish them?

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

A friend and I took a class on Saturday morning and I was pretty nervous going into it, because I didn't know what to expect. I was also a little nervous, because there is a real chance you can fall into the water, so you shouldn't be wearing a lot of clothing. I'm not a fan of showing everyone my work-in-progress body! But it was such a good experience, I'm glad I pushed myself.

You can burn 500-700 calories per hour with SUP Yoga depending on the intensity and the movements. Our practice was 90 minutes (paddleboarding for the first 5-10 minutes to warm up), so I know I got a good workout in!

downward dog eka pada

I already like yoga and find it such a good time to reflect and focus inward. I was lucky that this class was taught by my favorite yoga instructor from the Y here. Kate has a great style of teaching and does focus on the true meaning of yoga and not just the fitness aspect of it. I don't always take time to listen to my body and give thanks to it, so yoga is a good opportunity for that. You are so focused on the movements and your breathe, that you can't stress about your job, etc.

The paddleboard part of this class just made you focus on your balance and core that much more. I was on an inflatable paddleboard, so it was softer on my knees, but responded to movement much more. I did fall in on a warrior pose, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! Kate explained that it is good to fall in, because you are truly focusing on the move and fully committing to it without fear of falling. So that made me feel better!

My favorite part of yoga is shavasana at the end. If you've never taken yoga, you are missing out! Most instructors will give you a few minutes of shavasana at the end of your practice. Shavasana is total relaxation, a moment to find inner peace, sometimes referred to as the death pose :/ You lay on your back with your hands out to the side relaxed and let go of all the tension in your body. I have found that deep exhales while focusing on letting go of tension in specific parts of my body really works. After a minute or so I am totally relaxed and can just focus on the awesomeness of my body and what I just accomplished in the yoga practice. An added bonus of SUP Yoga, you are gently floating while doing this! It was just truly amazing...

My friend and I are going to commit to doing this once a month and I'm already looking forward to the next class!

Have you tried SUP Yoga? Plan to try it? Do you feel the benefits from traditional yoga? I would love to hear!

Monday, September 8, 2014

I hope everyone had a great weekend! What better way to start your week, than with a little motivation!

I love this little reminder. Every time I think I am too busy to workout, I need to remind myself that it's only a small part of your day. Especially, when I'm only getting a 30 minute work out in!

Just in case you can't read that tiny writing (don't worry, I can't either), it says "some motivation required". This also reminds me of the one I saw about getting in shape, because of the Hunger Games!

LOVE this.... need I say more?

This is also a great reminder. I'm programmed to celebrate with food/drink, get together with friends for meals, reward myself with dessert. It's interesting to reprogram this mindset. What do you reward yourself with then? New clothes? Maybe a bike ride with a friend?

Friday, September 5, 2014

It was nice to get back to a normal schedule after the holiday weekend. I did well with my eating and did fit in a very hilly run, which left me sore for a few days. But there is nothing like being in your home and having your normal routine to make things easier.

Part of my weekly goals this week is to run 3 times and I've already checked 2 runs off that list! I crave getting out for a run now and I never thought I would ever type that phrase! I just feel so centered and calm when my heart is pumping and I'm a little outside of my comfort zone.

This past week, I finally increased my total time running and have started to increase my speed too. I believe I will finally hit the 5K distance with my run this weekend! That is one of my big health goals that I have posted on my bathroom mirror. I have never liked running and so the fact that I want to get out there and run now is amazing. I think I can officially call myself a "runner", right?!

I have always been a big sweater --- and I don't mean the kind you wear. I sweat profusely! Honestly, there is no better feeling than coming home sweaty from a run (well I can think of other more pleasant things, but this works too). Here is some photographic evidence of my sweat. You can also see how nice my hair looks after working out - enjoy!

I have also been completing a 14-Day Sexy Arm Challenge through Marionberry Fitness. It consists of push-ups, dips and planks. Each day increases the number of reps and man, it is a doozy! I have never been good at push-ups, but I'm forcing myself to do them (with my knees bent of course) and I can feel myself getting stronger! That's also one of those great feelings right there next to sweating!

Marion has now posted the following two plank variations. The first one is a variation you can do with a normal set up reps. You get the shoulder, arm and core work you normally would, but it takes it to a whole other level! I will try not to fall over when I do this... I'll report back.

This 5 Minute Plank Workout is a great option to continue to stay toned after I complete the 2 week challenge. I think my body will be completely shaking, but I can't wait to try it out next week!

J is going to be traveling for work this weekend, so I know I have NO excuse not to workout. My goal is to complete the following:

Thursday, September 4, 2014

I will be home all weekend long without a lot of obligations, so I am looking forward to grocery shopping and prepping my meals for the week (and probably cooking a nice Sunday dinner in there too).

I don't pin much on Pinterest anymore (follow my boards here), because I went a little crazy a couple of years ago. I have over 60 boards and 4,500 pins... maybe you can see why I don't pin much anymore? But since I have such a large library of pins, I like to go back through my own boards for inspiration.

Here is what I'm considering making in the coming weeks:

I want all of this RIGHT now! As I mentioned earlier this week, we have been eating a lot of chicken lately, so I really want to try and incorporate other meats into the rotation on a regular basis. Luckily with the meatballs and picadillo, we can use any kind of ground meat (and look for what's on sale).

Here are links to the recipes, I will not pretend to take credit for them!

Sea Salt & Vinegar Beet Chips: I absolutely love beets, but really don't eat them often enough. This recipe calls for pan frying, so I will be using their other option of baking them in the oven. I have weight goals after all!

Cheesy Baked Cauliflower Tots: These would be a great potato alternative for dinner one night. Although, I'm guessing you would have to bake them each night so they are crispy. I don't imagine these would make good leftovers.

Spicy Baked Tex-Mex Meatballs: I made these almost 2 years ago when I was on a paleo kick. They came out simply amazing and don't know why I haven't made them again! I served them with mashed sweet potatoes and it was the perfect combination.

Sweet Potato Encrusted Fish: I'm a little nervous about the shredded sweet potato actually sticking to the fish, but if I can execute this properly, it looks great.

Spicy Brown Sugar Shrimp: I have all the spices on hand and this looks too good to pass up. I'm not positive what sides I would want to make with this, so it could end up being one of those meals where we pick at a few different appetizers.

Turkey Picadillo Lettuce Wraps: I had a wedge salad over the weekend and now I am craving the crisp crunch of iceberg lettuce. I will have to keep the olives on the side or try to trick J into eating this :)

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

J and I renewed our BJ's Wholesale membership last week and I'm so glad we did! We had it in North Carolina too and I really feel it saves us money and helps us plan our meals.

Last week we stocked up on some essentials and bought the stuff for my Mediterranean salads. Sometimes we end up spending more money at a place like BJ's, but everything lasts so much longer - - I still have veggies, chicken, eggs, sweet potatoes and more from last week. It's nice not to have to do a big shopping trip this week. I think that is one of the benefits of food preparation - - it makes your life easier!

My plan this week is to use up as much of what we have as possible, before stocking up again. Here's what I have a lot to work with:

Hard boiled eggs

Chicken (both shredded, diced and frozen breasts)

Feta

Mozzarella (ball, not shredded)

Broccoli

Sweet potatoes

I usually love hard boiled eggs sliced with salt and pepper, but for some reason this week it just doesn't sound appealing. Time to get creative! I have some turkey bacon, grape tomatoes and the leftover chicken, so I'm thinking about a Classic Cobb Salad with a few healthier modifications. I can use up my extra eggs, chicken and feta all in one fell swoop!

I think I will need to go old school and make an egg salad sandwich/wrap for lunch one day this week too. A local diner makes their egg salad sandwich with sliced tomato and bacon, so I may have to copy that.

I just saw this recipe for Grilled Veggie Towers with Mozzarella over on SkinnyTaste and if J will fire up the grill this week, I see this in our future. I can't think of anything more delicious right now then melted mozzarella (cheese is a close second to hummus for me)!

We have been really chicken heavy the last couple weeks, so I will need to break down and head to the grocery store for some steak or fish and have that with some steamed broccoli and sweet potato chips. J loves that kind of simple meal, and I will not complain about a steak or salmon night!

I have finally perfected baked sweet potato chips, so I need to share the wealth! I use a mandolin to slice my potatoes and actually use this for a lot of vegetables. I found mine for less than $10 at Marshall's or TJMaxx and it's worth the small investment. I like to slice my potatoes fairly thin, but not paper thin where you can see through them. I then spray them with olive oil cooking spray and season (on both sides). Typically I do salt, pepper and Old Bay, but sometimes I mix it up with cinnamon sugar and ground chili peppers. I have found that the best way to get them cooked through, crispy and not too burnt is to cook them low and slow. About 30 minutes at 350 and then on broil for a few minutes at the end (watching them very closely so they don't turn black). They are great on their own or dipped in whatever you have on hand.

Any favorite meals you like to make with leftovers? What did you prep this week?

It's always hard to get back into a routine after a long weekend, but focusing on my goals will certainly help remind me why it's important to jump back in!

I was pretty happy with my goals for last week :)

I lost some weight about mid-week and was excited to see that change. I felt I had hit a bit of a slump, which is why I decided to do SkinnyMeg's DietBet (more about that soon). I have yet to weigh in this week, so we shall see... I usually like to wait a day after the weekend to weigh-in. I don't think this is bad, I usually don't drink as much water on the weekends and we eat out more, so my sodium intake increases. I like to give my body a day to normalize.

I took progress photos (which I posted here) and my measurements. I was happy to see the photos compared to June 1, but the measurements haven't changed recently. That was a bit of a bummer, but I know I need to keep moving forward.

I did post my normal fitness routine on Friday. It is a nice reminder of what I have been working hard at. I think I will continue to do that for another month or so and then it will be time to mix it up!

Finally, I was proud of myself for staying on track this holiday weekend!

I had one light beer on Saturday and a glass of bubbly on Sunday. To be honest, I wasn't trying to stay away from the alcohol on purpose, but it just happened. I focused on my hunger signals and stopped eating when I was full. A beer on a full stomach just did not feel like a good move!

It was hard to track my food, because I was not preparing the dishes, but I tried my hardest to have balanced meals and knew what to definitely stay away from (cookies and potato salad). J's Mom had the paper plates that were divided into sections and this helped with portion control. I knew I should put my proteins and fresh produce in the large section and keep the smaller sections for mac n cheese and baked beans.

I also focused on drinking a lot of water and it helped that J's Mom had lemon infused water!

Instead of making an indulgent dish for the BBQ, I decided to put together a fruit salad with grapes, strawberries, watermelon and pineapple. It was refreshing and just what I needed throughout the day. I was also glad to see that everyone else enjoyed it!

I wanted to keep on top of setting mini goals and this week's are all pretty straight-forward. I will do a post on SkinnyMeg's DietBet sometime this week and be sure to do a recap of Marionberry Fitness when it wraps up on Sunday.

It will be nice to finish cleaning out and organizing my closet. It is a bit frustrating every morning to pick out an outfit when things all fit differently! I already have a small box of clothes that are too big for me and I'm hoping that when I reach my goal, I can easily have some clothes altered to fit. It's also nice to move out the clothes that are still to tight for me to the guest closet. My goal is to open up my master bedroom closet and have it full of clothes that actually fit and work for me right now. When those start to get baggy, I can switch them out for the clothes in my guest room!

Monday, September 1, 2014

I hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend! I am spending the weekend with my soon-to-be family and will definitely have a weekend recap post coming shortly. I knew going into the weekend that I would have to watch how many adult beverages I had and how much picking I do. J's family tends to make a TON of food and people graze all day. While I love this, it is a huge trap for me!

For now, I will leave you with a bit of motivation for the week. Enjoy!

Please tell me you have seen this episode of Parks and Rec. We can't be friends until you have. Seriously. "Treat Yo Self" is a motto J and I abide by when we are debating about buying something for ourselves. One day in Marshall's, J really wanted to get this beautiful leather briefcase/laptop bag, but thought it was too much money to spend. I busted out with "treat yo self" a little too loudly and heard laughing from another row over! Luckily, this phrase has more to do with shopping for us, then eating!

This is the best feeling, especially when it comes to running for me.

I like to remind myself of this, especially when reading other people's blogs who are farther along in their journey then I am. It also reminds me of that phrase, "don't compare YOUR beginning to someone else's MIDDLE."